Manchester City are in European action this evening as they prepare to take on Italian giants Inter at The Etihad in their first Champions League match of the season.
The Cityzens are playing in the new-look Champions League group phase for the first time and their first clash is a rematch of the 2023 final, which they won.
Rodri scored the only goal of the game as Pep Guardiola’s side secured the treble and their first trophy in the competition in the club’s history.
City come into this match off the back four wins from four games in the Premier League, with the latest being a 2-1 win over Brentford at The Etihad on Saturday.
Yoane Wissa gave the away side an early lead in the opening minute before a brace from superstar centre-forward Erling Haaland sealed all three points for the Cityzens.
Guardiola must now select an XI to take to the field against Inter this evening and the Spanish head coach could make a few changes from the team that faced the Bees, to give his side the best chance of picking up all three points.
Rodri should be unleashed
The first change that should be made to the team is that defensive midfielder Rodri should be brought back in to replace Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.
Guardiola selected Kovacic from the start against Brentford but decided to bring the Spain international on for him at half-time and that decision was rewarded with an improved display from the City giant in the second half.
Minutes played
45
45
Passes completed
45
33
Key passes
1
0
Successful long passes
3
1
Duels won
2/3
0/1
Tackles
1
0
As you can see in the table above, Rodri outperformed the Croatia international in the second half with more passes, more chances created, more long passes, more tackles, and more duels won, despite playing the same number of minutes.
The Spanish titan, who scored the winner against tonight’s opponents in the 2023 final, had been missing with a hamstring injury before making his first appearance of the season against Brentford.
Rodri provides defensive stability and sublime quality in possession, providing nine assists and completing 92% of his attempted passes in the Premier League last term, and must now be unleashed from the start against Inter this evening.
Along with the move to start the European Championship winner, Guardiola should also make a change at the heart of his defence to take John Stones out and unleash Ruben Dias from the start.
Why John Stones should be dropped
The England international made his first start of the season for City in the 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday and endured a difficult afternoon at The Etihad.
It was a nightmare start for the Cityzens veteran as he failed to clear the ball when it came his way in the six-yard box, albeit with Ederson not covering himself in glory either, and that allowed Wissa to score from close range.
That went down as an error that led to a goal on Sofascore and you have to go all the way back to the 2020/21 Premier League season to find his last error that led to a goal in the division, which speaks to his quality and consistently over the last four years or so.
The 30-year-old defender played 84 minutes against Brentford and did not win a single duel, losing his only battle, and did not make a single block, tackle, or interception, to prevent Ederson from being worked.
Thomas Frank’s side ended the match with six shots on target, one of which was Wissa’s goal, and one ‘big chance’ created, which shows that City allowed the away side to test their goalkeeper far too often.
Therefore, Guardiola must ruthlessly ditch Stones from the starting XI after his dismal showing against the Bees, with a sterner test against Inter, who won the Serie A by 19 points last season, to come this evening.
This would then open up a spot alongside Manuel Akanji for Dias to be restored into the starting line-up to provide more defensive stability at the back.
Why Ruben Dias should be unleashed
The £180k-per-week star should be unleashed because he is a solid centre-back who puts his body on the line for the team, whilst also being progressive in possession.
Over the last 365 days, Dias ranks within the top 6% of his positional peers in the Men’s Big 5 Leagues and European competitions for progressive passes per 90 (5.94) and the top 8% for progressive carries per 90 (1.32).
This shows that the Portuguese titan constantly looks to bring the ball forward to find teammates in advanced positions, whether that is through passes or carries, to build attacks for City.
The 27-year-old titan, who was once hailed as a “man-mountain” by ex-City ace Michael Ball, is also a dominant defender who has consistently impressed in the Champions League over the years, reaching two finals in four seasons at the club.
23/24
9
7.18
60%
22/23
12
7.41
64%
21/22
8
6.87
56%
20/21
11
7.17
59%
As you can see in the table above, Dias has consistently dominated opposition players in the Champions League throughout his career at City, particularly in the last two campaigns.
The clips above, from his performance against PSG in the semi-finals of the 2020/21 season, highlight his defensive attributes, as he excels at blocking shots and being in the right place at the right time to make key clearances.
Dias steps up in the big games, winning ten of his 16 duels against Inter in the final in 2023, and that is why he is the perfect choice to step in and start in the opening match of the Champions League campaign against the Italian giants tonight.
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Guardiola must now brutally ditch Stones, after his error at the weekend, and unleash the former Benfica giant from the start alongside Rodri.
